The Membership Relations Committee is happy to showcase some ArkGeo Geocachers through the "Geocacher Profile". The committee thought Beth Daniel aka topkitty98 should be the next cacher to be in the spotlight.

What is your geocaching name?
topkitty98 but I sign logs as topkitty98 & markrocksinheavennow

How did you choose your handle?
A gazillion years ago, when my place of employment was encouraging us to become more tech savvy and get email, I tried kitty kitty kitty, kitty3, here kitty, (you get the picture) but alas, all were taken. I wanted to acknowledge the fact that none of my cats will come when you call them kitty, they prefer their names.

How long have you been geocaching?
I believe since the summer of 2003 (July 30, 2003 - I just looked it up!)

How did you find your first Geocache, and which one was it?
Mark and I had looked the gc.com (http://gc.com/) website over for a cache we could find without a gps. We chose Serenity Garden Revisited GCG5K4 by Bebopishere because we thought it would be easy. Our allergy shot doctor was located in the same building and we had roamed the place incessantly to take up his "wait 30 minutes after you receive your shot" time. This cache showed us that just because you know where a cache is located, doesn't mean you know where the cache is located. Get it?!

Who usually goes with you when you go caching?
I usually go alone now.

How long will you work on puzzle caches before you give up?
Puzzles aren't my favorite. (Weird, right?)

What town/areas have you most enjoyed caching in?
Searcy - woodwalker9 befriended my child, he got the rest of the family by default haha.
Clarksville in the old days - Mark and I met our first cachers on the trail at Pinnacle of a Hunt, the infamous nonnipoppy and golfnutz. We decided to try Clarksville and the rest is history.

Do you do paperless caching?
Probably not the way you are asking.

What kind of geocaching rig do you use?
My favorite gps is a Garmin map60 with some letters after it that I can never remember. I bought a Colorado last summer, but haven't warmed up to it yet. Now vehicle rig-wise, my favorite would have to be that which belongs to geo-j. It's a Jeep Wrangler, 4 wheel drive, lifted, snorkel, get the picture?

Why would you recommend anyone else to take up geocaching?
Geocaching is one of the best family activities I know. Exercise of the body, the brain, the laugh muscles . . . In the early days after Mark's death, it definitely helped keep me sane. It provided me with friends who have become family, entertainment to take me outside of myself, quiet time outdoors.
In what states you have geocached?
Arkansas, Missouri (there was a cache there I think was called Onyx Cave, but it was a wild cave, not the famous one - that was awesome), Texas (Cadillac Ranch rocks!), Oklahoma (some of my favorites are there), New Mexico, Colorado!, Kansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia, and Mississippi. Granted, that sounds like a lot, but more than one of those were only one cache apiece.

What was your first event ever attended?
Burns Park 2004 - talked ww9 into his first event then I believe

How many caches have you found?
1825

Which type of cache container do you prefer over the rest?
Hmmmm. Depends on my mood, I guess.

What was the most famous cache that you have found?
MINGO!!!!!!

Do you use disposable batteries or rechargeable batteries?
Normally, rechargeable

Do you enjoy hiding or finding more as your part of the hobby?
Finding when my mojo hasn't left me.

Do you have a personal goal in mind when you make a hide?
I love cool containers and trying to think of things I've not seen anyone else do. I also like to take people to places that are special to me. I enjoy coming up with goofy, double entendre titles.

What is you favorite type of cache hide?
Cemetery Caches. I'm weird, yes.
Caches that make me laugh or show me beautiful places are my next favorites.

Out of all your hides, what are your personal favorites that you take pride in?
I loved C R A Z Y! I didn't build it, my design team gets all the credit. (I still think that some squirrel somewhere had a whopper of a bellyache when they took off with my cache!)
I like A, You're An Artichoke. (Be on the watch for B, You're a BellyButton)
Trapper Trish is not much special, but I've been amazed how many people have had trouble with it.
Namesakes are Forever, my first, has been one of my favorites.
BUT my all time favorite is Mark Rocks at Spring Valley aka Heroes. It is located at my favorite place on this earth.

What do you think the proper hide to find ratio should be to keep the sport fresh?
I think not so much a ratio, but a good blend. Easy to more difficult, a variety of cache hiders, containers, etc.

How did you end up getting into this wacky hobby?
I read an article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, showed it to geo-j, looked up gc.com, and never looked back.

What's your favorite geocache?
EEEEEK! ONE favorite, really?
Mark Rocks at Spring Valley
all of Mark's tribute caches -
Glory Hole, Marinoni, Fern, Jesus Wept in Oklahoma City at the Murrah Building, Cadillac Ranch in Texas, the 911 cache in Tulsa that has a long piece of steel from Ground Zero, Lift Station in Clarksville, Who Rocks? and MCD in Searcy, the ice cream man cache at the urban park in Searcy, Artistic Masters in Clarksville, Cousin Crawford . . .

If money was no object, where would you like to go geocaching?
A beach

Do you like geocaching by yourself or in a group?
I don't mind going alone, but there's nothing quite like night caching with a group, getting really quiet cause you know someone is up the trail and you wanna surprise them, then they catch up and they knew you were there all along. (my first encounter with idratherbehiking - he was such a quiet, good sport)
Burns Park Night Cache with a small group in the snow around Christmas time, a day that turned into evening in Clarksville with geo-j and ww9 -

How many First to Finds do you have?
I dunno

Are you a First to Find person who is always set on go and if so, how many miles out do you have your settings on to get notifications?
Mark and I used to run for ftf's but I never figured out that notification thing on my phone. I promise I'm soooo not a techie.

Do you have any other hobbies besides geocaching?
I read - a lot -
I crochet, scrapbook, dabble in photography, hang out with the felines at my house, jigsaw puzzles.

Where are you originally from?
I was born in Ferndale, AR, but moved to Mabelvale at 18 months.